X-O Manowar #9 Review

 

X-O Manowar #9 Cover A by Rahzzah

We left X-O Manowar #8 with Troy Whitaker displaying his new nanite-powered suit, directing the Singularity that controls New York City. The helmet utterly transforms his features. Flames rise like horns. His eyebrows arc up. His chin piece suggests a goatee. Even his skull seems to swell, pushing away the dark bangs that normally cover his forehead.

In X-O Manowar #9, Troy does what he always does. As a public benefactor, he explains how much he has helped people, and will continue to contribute to their lives. He is, above all things, an influencer.

Meanwhile, Aric hangs from a tree, and young Desmond, who stole his mother's car in X-O Manowar #1, points out that Troy is acting unethically.

In previous X-O Manowar series, Aric has tried--and failed--to hold a family together. On the planet Gorin, he even tried to unite three warring nations, only to see them turn against his rule. So in the first issue of this series, we saw him reject all worldly values of success. 

He rejected Shanhara's arguments that he needed money, or that public perceptions were as important as actually helping people. Looking back on those early issues, it's interesting to note that Shanhara and Whitaker espoused similar values. Perhaps that's why Shanhara was so open to letting Troy tinker with her source code.

All along, Shanhara and Whitaker seemed partners in trying to convince Aric to embrace their astute, contemporary outlook. Yet, the stubborn fighter that he was, Aric resisted. Throughout this series, he has acted first and foremost to help ordinary, everyday people. Now in X-O Manowar #9, shorn of Shanhara, his first thoughts are still geared to protecting others.

Troy Whitaker may believe that manipulation and control are the best ways to usher in a new and better tomorrow. He opened up his luxury home to a homeless woman, and offered her all the resources at his command to help her complete her mission of fixing Tina and Desmond's car. He even rebuilt her neighborhood in Harlem after Aric's battle with the Ukrainian warlord Yakiov.

Yet in X-O Manowar #9, it is Aric the woman sides with, not Troy. She identifies with Aric's values, and rejects Troy's.

Writer Desmond Hopeless Hallum has mused on how we relate to each other through the media in this series. He's also pointed out how much we stand to benefit by accepting others for who they are. In X-O Manowar #9, all those themes come down to one thing: believing in your friends.

After his failures to use Shanhara to achieve his objectives in previous series, Aric chose to take a step back in this one. Like most of us, he's not as intelligent as Troy Whitaker. Still, accepting that you don't know everything, and committing yourself to a  life of helping others, seems far wiser than trying to force or manipulate them into accepting your vision.

While Aric isn't the smart, rich, upwardly-moving socialite that we find so easy to admire, when the situation demands it, he can reason effectively with others. Still, in his heart, he is a soldier. He'll demonstrate both qualities in this climactic issue.

After exploring the relationship between Shanhara and Aric in a new and appealing way, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum brings Aric and Shanhara's conflict with Troy Whitaker and the Singularity to a close. He spins this final, bittersweet tale with the able assistance of penciler and inker Emilio Laiso, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. 

 

Through their combined efforts, I'm left wanting more. Not just more stories about Aric, but also about those who welcomed him into their lives, and supported Aric in his recent endeavors. Many thanks to the creators, and all the good folks at Valiant, for bringing us such a fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking X-O Manowar series.

Dragon Dave